ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday arrested Shoaib Sheikh, owner of a private television channel and chief executive of Axact, for allegedly offering Rs5 million as a bribe to Additional District and Sessions Judge Pervaizul Qadir Memon for getting acquittal in a fake degree case.

Memon had acquitted Sheikh, chief executive officer (CEO) of Axact — the company that made billions of dollars by selling fake degrees worldwide — and others in fake degrees scam on October 31, 2016. Later, the judge was sacked on February 15, 2018, by the Islamabad High Court as he confessed before a departmental promotion committee that he had received the bribe for acquitting the accused.

The IHC division bench in April 2018 had set aside the October 31, 2016 acquittal order passed by Memon.

Meanwhile, a case had been filed against the CEO of Axact under the Pakistan Penal Code and the anti-bribery act with the FIA at the request of the IHC registrar.

The FIA, on February 15, 2023, summoned the Axact chief in connection with the bribe case. Sheikh, however, did not appear before the probe team.  

More to follow…